Why the Global Skills Opportunity Program is a Game Changer for SMU Students
By Alexandra Embree
The Global Skills Opportunity Program, or GSO program for short, was launched on November 3, 2021 by the Canadian Federal Government. The nation-wide program has two primary goals:
Increase access to international education opportunities among post-secondary students
Promote global opportunities in locations that have historically been chosen less frequently by students
Saint Mary’s University has been allocated a portion of this funding to distribute to students, which means that if you are a Canadian SMU student, you could be eligible. Up to $10 000 per experience is available for physical mobility global experiences, and up to $1000 is available for virtual global experiences. These figures are halved for students that are not a part of the target groups, which are Indigenous students, low-income students, or students with disabilities.
A Step Towards Equity
Study abroad experiences have historically suffered from a lack of diversity. In Canada, only 15% of study abroad participants are BiPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour), despite the population of BiPOC students being estimated to be at least double this. As a highly multicultural country, Canada should be represented as such on the international stage - anything less is potentially indicative of unequal access to these opportunities. This is why the International Learning Office at Saint Mary’s has opted to provide additional funding to individuals who self-identify as Indigenous, a particularly underrepresented group in study abroad programs.
Other groups that qualify for the additional funding amount include students with disabilities and low-income students. It’s no secret that traveling and studying are expensive activities that many don’t have the funds to pursue. While there are a number of funding programs and awards that can help alleviate the financial pressure on students, smaller award amounts may not be enough to support students that have to work through school or don’t have the financial flexibility to purchase a plane ticket. Students with disabilities can also face financial barriers - accommodations, medical expenses incurred abroad, and access to equipment are potential examples.
My Personal Experience
As an individual who has received grants to study abroad in the past, I am a huge supporter of these programs. My first time going abroad for educational purposes, I received the Ernst Mach grant for studying at an Austrian University of Applied Sciences from the OeAd, which is the Austrian Agency for Internationalization and Education.
I would not have been able to have this semester abroad experience without the grant - as a community college student at that time, I had limited access to funding and was so uncertain about the entire process of going abroad. I didn’t know anyone else who had done it, and spent months fretting over the practicality of the decision.
Ultimately, the grant pushed me to take the plunge, and I am so grateful that I did. In 5 months, I learned more about the world than I ever had before and met so many incredible people with diverse backgrounds. In addition, I was introduced to new concepts in the classroom that I would not have learned at my home institution. I found myself more aware of how many opportunities are out there in the world, and was inspired to register at university to upgrade my diploma into a degree.
Summer School through the SMU GSO Program
Four years later, I found myself wishing to go abroad again! My previous experience had taught me that sometimes there is financial assistance to help you achieve these dreams. I applied to the SMU Exchange program and was so excited to receive some funding for a summer school program in Joensuu, Finland.
Summer school programs and other short-term exchanges are great for older students who have more responsibilities at home, so I was able to fit the exchange into my life, instead of having to fit my life around the exchange. The GSO funding can support these shorter term experiences, as well as virtual experiences, which helps even further to broaden access to international activities.
My time in Finland was quite unlike my time in Austria - but I immediately developed an appreciation for nature, economic equality, and traditional characteristics of the Finnish culture. I’m now a huge fan of Sauna!
I also took back some new skills - the institution I was at, UEF, was a leader in Learning Analytics, and I was exposed to a number of computer programs that help in specific analysis techniques such as Process Mining, or Network Analysis.
Target Countries
The GSO program’s second goal is to diversify the destination countries of outbound exchange students. Many students in the past chose to go to Australia, the UK, France, or the US. These countries share some similarities with Canada, at the very least in terms of language and history.
SMU has partnered with institutions in Brazil, Hong Kong, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Philippines, Poland, Turkey, Uganda, Costa Rica, Japan, South Korea, and Norway, and encourages participants to explore these options, as they are prioritized in the application process.
In Conclusion
If you have a desire to expand your perspective and embark on an unforgettable learning experience, take advantage of the potential opportunities to go abroad at SMU! The GSO funding and other initiatives can help break down the barriers that you may face in the process.
More information about the GSO funding is available on the SMU International Office’s webpage, located here: Global Skills Opportunity — Studio for Teaching & Learning (smu.ca).